1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a composition for the identification and the treatment of prostate cells as well as to methods for the diagnostic and therapeutic treatment of a living being using the composition according to the invention.
2. Related Prior Art
Compositions for the identification and the treatment of prostate cells are generally known in the art.
The prostate carcinoma is a malignant tumor disease which originates from the gland tissue of the prostate. In Germany almost three out of one hundred men die from prostate carcinoma. The prostate carcinoma, therefore, belongs to the most frequent cancer diseases of men. Within the group of men died from cancer it is responsible for about 10% of the deaths and, therefore, is the third-most deadly cancer disease after lung and colon cancer.
The precondition for a therapeutic treatment of the prostate carcinoma is a reliable diagnosis. It is in particular decisive whether an affected patient has already a lymph node metastasis; Messing E. M. et al. (1999), Immediate hormonal therapy compared with observation after radical prostatectomy and pelvic lymphadenectomy in men with node-positive prostate cancer. N. Engl. J. Med.; 341 (24): 1781-1788; Walsh P. C. (2002), Surgery and the reduction of mortality from prostate cancer. N. Engl. J. Med.; 347 (11): 839-840.
The identification or demarcation of prostate carcinoma metastases in lymph nodes occurs as a “negative image” by means of the magnetic resonance tomography (MRT). For doing so iron particles are intravenously injected; cf. Harisinghani M. G. et al. (2006), Ferumoxtran-10-enhanced MR lymphangiography: does contrast-enhanced imaging alone suffice for accurate lymph node characterization? Am. J. Roentgenol.; 186 (1): 144-8. The iron particles are taken up by the reticuloendothelial system (RES) of the lymph node, however not by the prostate carcinoma metastasis itself since in this position the RES is displaced. In the T2-weighted MRT images the RES can be seen in dark because of the uptaken iron particles, however the prostate carcinoma metastasis remains in light.
However, also in areas of inflammation processes, fat deposits and fibroses a displacement of the RES can be found also resulting in light areas in the magnetic resonance tomography and thus appear as metastases like structures. Further, with this method it cannot be distinguished between metastases of different origins, i.e. prostate, colon, bladder etc., since with this method only the RES however not the cancer cells itself can be visualized.